"It is incredibly inspiring to see so many talented architecture students working to solve one of the major climate change challenges: energy waste in buildings. You are the architects of the future," said Hydro CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg on Thursday when he met the architecture students at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO).

March 2, 2012

The second-year students have been in a workshop focusing on developing façade solutions for energy-efficient buildings. After three intensive working days the students today presented physical models of their solutions.

Brandtzæg was clearly impressed with the results. "The students have come up with very interesting and creative solutions. It's great to see that they have met the major challenges of absorbing new knowledge and developing excellent, practical solutions in such a short time," says Brandtzæg.

Informative workshop

The students feel they have learned a lot during the workshop. Students Jenny Rognli and Magnus Kvalheim think it is exciting that AHO has worked closely with Hydro and they believe it is important to acquire knowledge about the use of façades and aluminium.

"It's been a fun and challenging workshop and has given us deeper insight into what the façade can contribute to building solutions. Hydro has provided excellent guest speakers who have energized the workshop," says Rognli.

Aluminium a flexible material

Rognli and Kvalheim's group based much of its façade model on aluminium.

"We think aluminium is a really cool material to work with because of its positive qualities. It is light and strong and very malleable. Aluminium is also effective at transferring heat since it both absorbs and releases heat easily," says Kvalheim.

"In addition, we have learned that it is a highly recyclable metal. We think it is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly that by recycling aluminium we can save 95 percent of the energy required to create new metal," he adds.

Future façades

Buildings currently account for 40 percent of total world energy consumption. This underscores that future buildings must become more energy-efficient. Aluminium and façades together can make a major contribution in creating components that can both save and produce energy. During the workshop the architectural students at AHO have acquired extensive relevant knowledge in the field.

"It bodes well for the future that the next generation of architects understands and are able to use the façade's many possibilities," says Brandtzæg.

Hydro is a major supplier of energy-efficient aluminium façade solutions. By leveraging expertise in a collaborative project like 'Power Façade', Hydro wants to create closer links between the education sector and industry. Innovative solutions require good knowledge: theoretical and practical.